6 Amazing Event Venues for Book Nerds
VENUES
You know what lit nerds want? They want to dine in musty halls of learning. They want to sip cocktails on the porch of Hemingway s hideaway. The US is rich in event venues with a connection to literary history. Here are a few of our top picks:
Algonquin Hotel, New York
Back in 1919, the Algonquin Hotel was home to the Algonquin Round Table, a coalition of writers and other literary ne er-do-wells that included Dorothy Parker and Marc Connelly, who met in the dining room for luncheon and poker. The Library Boardroom, the hotel s meeting space, also houses the hotel s famous book collection.
The Rainbow Room, New York
Mentioned in a JD Salinger short story A Girl I knew , the Rainbow Room is a major fixture in New York s glitzy history. First opened on October 3, 1934, [The Rainbow Room] was originally conceived as a formal supper club, where the elite and influential of New York could gather to socialize over cocktails, dine on fine cuisine, and dance to the strains of legendary Barry Winton s Orchestra (Band) on a revolving floor. Today, the event space can accommodate around 300 guests.
Margaret Mitchell House, Atlanta
Listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, this is the very location where Margaret Mitchell penned Gone With the Wind. The three story Tudor revival home, which includes the apartment Margaret Mitchell wrote her best-selling novel, contains four intimate parlor rooms and one event room on two floors with covered porches and balconies, and is surrounded by manicured lawns.
National Archives Museum, Washington DC
What it is about old scrolls that sets the literary heart thumping? The National Archives Musuem houses some of America s oldest documents, and in terms of event locations, if you re throwing a gala in DC, the National Archives Museum is pretty near the top of the list for Federalist chic. There are five event spaces in total, including a 290-seat theater, a series of smaller conference rooms, and the Rotunda galleries which boasts 75-foot vaulted ceilings, marble floors, and bronze accents and are just steps away from the permanent home of the original Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights.
The Catered Affair @ Boston Public Library, MA
The Catered Affair joins forces with the Boston Public Library to provide one of the most unique and historic event venues in the city. Ornately designed spaces in a variety of sizes offer businesses a unique opportunity for corporate events.
Bookbindery, Culver City, CA
Once the site of an actual book-binding shop, Bookbindery has now been transformed into two multi-purpose concrete and exposed brick event spaces totaling 19,000 square feet, plus a 2,500sqf prep kitchen.
Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, Key West, FL
Sip rum cocktails under the very eaves where Hemingway spent 10 years banging out brilliance? Yes, please.
The Hemingway home was built in 1851 in the Spanish Colonial style, and was constructed of native rock hewn from the grounds. The home was in great disrepair when it the Hemingways took ownership, but both Ernest and Pauline could see beyond the rubble and ruin, and appreciated the grand architecture and stateliness of the home. The massive restoration and remodeling they undertook in the early 1930 s turned the home into the National Historical Landmark that thousands of tourists visit and enjoy today.
The Incredible Impossibility of the Super Bowl Halftime Show
EVENT DESIGN, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION, EVENT PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
As you re making your last minute game-day dip selections and 60-inch TV purchases, there s a group of brave people who have been prepping for this Super Bowl Sunday since last year.
Spoiler alert: It s not any member of the Falcons or the Patriots.
No, for these ambitious folks, the game really begins when the players leave the field. It s halftime.
It s showtime.
A Logistical Nightmare
The team that puts on the Super Bowl halftime show truly accomplishes something incredible. While normal stage setup for a stadium-size concert usually takes a day or more, the Super Bowl halftime stage is assembled in just minutes six minutes to be exact.
According to Charles Coplin, VP of Special Events for the NFL, last year s Super Bowl XXXVIII (with the halftime show featuring Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars), they had six minutes to bring the stage on and set it up, and six minutes to break it all down. Oh and not to mention, leave the field in pristine condition for the second half of the world s most prestigious football game.
You see, not only do these incredibly elaborate stage setups have to happen quicker than the time it takes to boil six cups of water, they also have to do so without the help of heavy machinery or motor vehicles. Cranes and trucks could tear up the field or bump a goal post. There is way too much at stake to cause a delay of game due to a rogue rig.
Yeah there really isn t any room for mistakes. Like zero room. Because when they say that the Super Bowl halftime show is a huge stage, they mean that both literally and figuratively. What happens on that stage will be seen. By millions. Live. (Or maybe with a slight delay to prevent any future wardrobe malfunctions. )
In fact, there have been many years when the halftime show actually gets more viewership than the football game itself. This was true for last year s show. Super Bowl 50, which saw the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10, had an average viewership of 111.9 million TV viewers. And when was its largest viewership of the night recorded? That s right. During halftime. 115.5 million TV viewers. And even that s rounding down.
This count from Nielson doesn t include out-of-home viewers who went to catch the game at a bar or at their friend s house. It also doesn t include online streaming viewers, or the nearly 70,000 fans that filled Levi Stadium.
OK, so the stage has to be setup in six minutes, using predominantly volunteers and virtually no heavy machinery. There can be no damage done to any area of the field. The performance needs to be executed flawlessly coordinating A-list performers, dancers, lights, sound, props and pyrotechnics because millions of people will be watching live. And then in another six minutes the stage has to be taken down and everyone tucked back in their seats before halftime ends, with zero damage to the field.
Oh yeah, and you also have to put on a halftime show that kicks ass.
Pushing a 12-minute Show to the Limit
What truly makes halftime amazing is that even with all of these restrictions, it still has to be an unforgettable show. It still has to astound the audience. It still has to keep us talking about it, comparing it to other halftime shows year after year.
Each Super Bowl halftime show tries to push the envelope a little further. Increase the WOW factor just a little more. Let s look at some examples, shall we?
1993 Super Bowl XXVII This is the show that really kicked off the modern halftime extravaganza. In the beginning, Michael Jackson impersonators seemingly morphed from within the digital scoreboards, appearing on top of them to dance high above the stadium. Then, Michael Jackson himself shot up from the stage floor and stared down the audience for a full 90 seconds without moving. A full 90 seconds.
A halftime spectacular featuring Michael Jackson wows a SB XXVII crowd of better than 98,000 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on 1/31/1993. Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images Photos (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
1995 Super Bowl XXIX Produced by Disney, this performance featured a live-action Indiana Jones skit, complete with 13 professional stuntmen, skydivers, Patti LaBelle, and one guy who got lit on fire (intentionally). While this halftime show received a lot of ridicule, it was the only one to feature stuntmen and live fight scenes no matter how hokey.
1996 Super Bowl XXX The headliner, Diana Ross, had 12 wardrobe changes, and left the stage in a helicopter.
2007 Super Bowl XLI This show featured a remarkable performance by Prince while it actually rained. The pouring rain wasn t planned, but the show definitely did go on. And it was fucking awesome.
2012 Super Bowl XLVI This year had an impressive stage completely outfitted with projection mapping. DWP Live, the projection mapping crew, spent nearly 3 weeks getting things ready in Indianapolis. The stage looked spectacular moving and transforming beneath Madonna and her dancers.
Photo By: Brad Duns via MomentFactory.com
Photo By: Brad Duns via MomentFactory.com
2015 Super Bowl XLIX Katy Perry rode in on a GIANT animatronic tiger (that looked like a lion), and then left by flying around the stadium on a star.
This year, we are eagerly awaiting the over-the-top antics of Lady Gaga. Rumor has it she will be performing alone, maybe with a small cameo by Tony Bennett, but we d love to see some surprise guests. There s also some high flying rumors that she will perform on top of the stadium, or suspended down from the roof in someway a rumor she has neither confirmed nor denied. She did, however, say that her stage would be athletic, so that sounds fun.
The 2017 halftime show has been designed by Bruce Rogers from Tribe Inc., who has been designing the Super Bowl halftime show for more than a decade. LeRoy Bennett has also joined him this year as a co-production designer. We expect the results from this dynamic duo to be nothing short of legendary.
Will you be tuning in to this year s 2017 Super Bowl LI halftime show? We ll be there, and we ll be live tweeting at @decibelevent so follow us and talk to us to let us know what you think. Bring on the guacamole.
Level up your floor plans: Great 3D modelling tutorials for event producers
EVENT PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
Curious what it takes to DIY your spatial models? Want to be able to throw together a 3D walkthrough of an event area? Feeling like adding another skill to your set? Self-improver, we applaud you. We ll be looking at tutorials that introduce some of the most commonly-used programs in the 3D layout-i-verse, AutoCAD and SketchUp, but the truth is, you can use almost any 3D design program to create a room, site, stage, or interior space. Blender, for example, is a free 3D modelling suite with a robust user base and fan community that publish new tutorials frequently.
AutoCAD
Oh hoh! We re feeling feisty, I see. Goin for gold. Feeling powerful and full of vim. Okay. If we re starting with the heavy lifting, we d better take it slow. AutoCAD, as you probably know, is primarily an architectural tool for drafting, but it s been adapted for use across multiple industries. The software is very complex, comprising a full suite of industry-leading tools for 2D and 3D spatial design.
2D room layouts created in AutoCAD can also be exported to the other 3D design programs, so it s not unheard-of for event designers to use AutoCAD for creating the room structure and dimensions (a function at which it excels), and then finish the rendering in Blender or SketchUp.
Learn the basic controls: Hitchhiker s Guide to AutoCAD
This multi-part tutorial from the makers of AutoCAD covers the basic functions and features of the program.
45-minute AutoCAD starter video
Already a bit tech-savvy? Rather not suffer through 12 lessons to get a grip on the basic tools? This video takes a faster approach to familiarizing you with the workspace.
2D Floor Plans
Starting with flat models, this 20-minute tutorial walks you through the basics of building a floor plan in 20 minutes .
Turning Plans into Models in AutoCAD
A 16-minute overview on how to turn a flat plan into a 3D model.
Your First Set of Plans in AutoCAD
Geared more towards up-and-coming architects, this 17-lesson, pay-to-play course from digitaltutors.com is the Cadillac of AutoCAD tutorials. Check this out if you re interested in learning advanced interior and spatial design modelling.
Sketchup
SketchUp is a popular 3D drawing tool created by the good men and women at Google. There is a free version of sketchup for personal use, most professionals who plan to do a good deal of modeling spring for the pro version ($695). 3D objects can be created from scratch in Sketchup, or, as mentioned, can be imported from tools like AutoCAD (here s how).
Once you ve got a good command of the software itself, you can trawl the SketchUp 3D Warehouse for pre-made 3D furniture and decor items to toss into your room layout. The SketchUp site also offers a few of its own getting started videos, or check out these tutorials created by independent designers:
Learning the Workspace
How to create your first-ever SketchUp 3D model.
Create a 2D Floorplan
Today I am going to walk you through my process for drawing a 2D floor plan in SketchUp from measurements I ve taken at a client s home or business (in the field).
Creating a 3D Model from a Floor Plan
How to turn a 2D floorplan into a three-dimensional layout in SketchUp.
How to Use SketchUp to Create an Event Layout
Once you ve got the basics down, this video will teach you how to use SketchUp to layout a meeting room, banquet hall or other event space.
Site Modelling in SketchUp
For the very ambitious, here s a look at creating an entire 3D site plan for a large outdoor event.
Give Up
No? Too hard? Too much sitting and clicking while you burn through productive hours like a lava flow through Pompeii? No sweat, friend. There s a reason Social Tables is successful. Head over there, sign up, and do your floor plans the point-and-click way. We won t judge.
8 Bad Ass Products You Need For Events from CES 2017
EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, TRADE SHOW
When you re a kid, wonderment can be found around every corner. When you re an adult, there are three main places you can go to experience that same childlike rush of awesomeness: Disneyland, Legoland and CES.
Unlike Disneyland, the magic displayed at CES is real; and unlike Legoland, it isn t larger than life, it is life. These are the futuristic, cutting-edge products straight out of The Jetsons and they re right here, right now. (Or at least in prototype.)
The Consumer Electronics Show featured 3,800 companies showing off products in a record 2.6 million net square feet of exhibit space with gadgets ranging from the brilliant to the fucking insane. So, we ve rounded up our favorites for rock star event professionals. Take a look:
Razer Project Valerie Triple-Screen Laptop
(Photo Credit: Razer)
Razer has created the world s first portable laptop with triple monitors. The additional screens are built-in and fold back into a 17-inch laptop case to take on the go. Unlike most laptops, it s a 12-pounder, but has a top-of-the-line graphics card and technology to date.
It may be meant for gamers, we re imagining the Project Valerie used in a command center overlooking your event floor. Even at 12 pounds, it would be easier to lug around than your laptop and two monitors when you need extra screen space to quickly and efficiently manage your next main stage. Unfortunately, this bad boy is only a prototype for now and isn t for sale yet. Our credit card is ready, Razer. Just say the word.
Smart Shoes from Under Armour
As if we didn t love them enough already, Under Armour has won our hearts again. Smart Shoes have been tracking running speed and cadence for about a year now, but this new update takes the cake. Jump six times in a row, and Smart Shoes 3.0 will measure how tired you are, letting you know if you re ready to run, need a break, or need an extra warm-up. Now if only they could design a smart shoe with a built in foot massager for those endless event days on the trade show floor. 4.0 release, pretty please?
Samsung Gear VR 4D Experience
(Photo Credit: Samsung)
One of the most popular demos at #CES2017 was the Samsung Gear VR 4D Gyro Experience. It had people seeing, hearing and FEELING the thrills of a space race. The line for this ride was super long, but also super worth it. Building a custom amusement park ride on your show floor really ups the ante for VR, and it wasn t the only virtual reality demo Samsung brought either, they had quite an impressive lineup! We re big on VR over here at dB, and can t wait to see where this technology will take us in the near future.
LG OLED TV Tunnel
(Photo Credit: Steve Marcus/Reuters)
LG is known for showing everyone up at CES, but they really outdid themselves with this stunning LG OLED TV Tunnel display. The TV Tunnel was a totally immersive display that transported you to another world, without the need for a virtual reality headset. It s made up of 216 55-inch LG OLED 4K TVs, working insync to display spectacular views of the solar system, jellyfish, whales and other astounding images.
While this display is showcasing the outstanding abilities of LG TVs, we can see this TV Tunnel being used at a variety of different events. Right off the top of our heads? We re thinking red carpet movie premiere entrance. Boom. You re welcome.
Kanex MultiSync Folding Bluetooth Keyboard
Here s a smaller, simpler, yet super helpful device spotted at CES 2017. The Kanex MultiSync folding keyboard is an uber portable keyboard that connect to any of your devices by Bluetooth. Event days are long and fast-paced, and the last thing you need slowing you down is slowing punching out an email on your smartphone. Whip out this bad boy and you ll get that email done in half the time, assuming you can type on a keyboard faster than you can text, that is.
The best part? The keys really compress just like those laptop keys you know and love. Bonus: it retails for just $50.
BACTrack Skyn World s First Wearable Alcohol Monitor
(Photo Credit: BACtrack)
There s nothing quite like enjoying an ice cold adult beverage after working a long event day. (Truth be told, we prefer Don Julio to Dos Equis, but don t tell The Most Interesting Man in the World.) Chances are if you don t have another early call time, you ll need to be up early to catch a flight home, so monitoring your alcohol consumption is key. And that s where BACtrack Skyn comes in.
BACtrack Skyn is the world s first wearable alcohol monitor. While wearing the sleek BACtrack Skyn, you can learn when you re approaching higher alcohol levels so you can make better decisions about when it s time to call it a night. There are currently two working prototypes, a standalone wearable that goes around your wrist, or a band that integrates with your Apple Watch for seamless alcohol consumption tracking, continuously and in near real-time. Bottoms up.
Fossil Releasing More Than 300 Fashion Smart Watches in 2017
(Photo Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Move over, Apple Watch. Fossil Group is releasing a line of smartwatches this year, but promise to continue to focus on being fashion-first. So you can still look sharp while getting your emails, checking your event schedule, and tracking your steps.
There are over 300 connected watches to be released in 2017 from brands like Armani Exchange and Misfit, in addition to 2016 s brands Kate Spade and Michael Kors, to name a few. Classy yet functional, that s how #eventprofs roll.
Moshi s Arcus Backpack
The Arcus Backpack may not be the flashiest item at CES, but it certainly is quite useful for hard-working, ridiculously good-looking event professionals like you and I. Described as the clown car of backpacks by CNET, this bag certainly has a place for everything. It can easily fit a DSLR camera and several lenses, as well as a 15 computer, tennis shoes, notebooks, cords, candy bars and more. It has a special crush-resistant compartment for your cell phone, glasses or other delicate items, as well a side water bottle holder to keep you properly hydrated.
The designers at Moshi said they wanted to create a backpack that they would actually use, and we can honestly say we would be happy to use this one.
What did we miss that could be useful in our event management corner of the universe? Get at us on Twitter at @decibelevent or on Instagram at @DecibelManagement and let us know!
Three Experiential Installations that Solved Actual Problems
BRAND ACTIVATIONS & MARKETING
Ginormous wall-mounted drum kits. Experimental tea-time pop-up bars. These are cool, and we love them. And yes, it is always Pimm s O clock. But experiential really goes to the next level when it can be applied to problems that plague our community.
What the Phonics
Total geniuses Andrew Spitz and Momo Miyazaki noticed something weird about the street names in Copenhagen: no one could pronounce them but the Dutch. Which sucks, because if you don t live somewhere, you probably have to ask for directions a lot, and that s embarrassing enough as it is. Solution? The What the Phonics project, a kickass idea that blends cheeky design with much-needed function into a cool little device that helps passers-by pronounce arcane street names, like Rosenborggade and Nyhavn .
The Piano Stairs
The Fun Theory, an initiative of Volkswagen, maintain that fun is the best way to change people s behavior for the better. And to prove it, they built an interactive musical staircase that s a lot more exciting than riding an escalator. Their project returned measurable results, with 66{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} more people choosing the stairs than normal. The Fun Theory has tackled a pile of tough issues with the same methodology, using fun to encourage drivers to obey the speed limit, recycle glass, use seat belts, and refrain from littering.
Nike interactive billboard
BBDO created an interactive billboard for Nike in Argentina, inviting passersby to have a run on a treadmill that logs a communal kilometer count. For each kilometer run, Nike donates a set amount to UNICEF, urging that Training for the 10k doesn t only help you. For each kilometer run, you will be helping UNICEF.’
Bonus: the anti-Cancer Punching Bag
We actually featured this in another post on the blog recently, but it s so awesome, we re throwing it up here again. If you haven t seen this project, an experiential punching bag that lets participants fight cancer with their fists, check this out (it s available to rent for events, people):
NFTs, The Metaverse, & Holograms – Oh My! Bringing Event Management Into the Future
NFTs, The Metaverse, Holograms
Is it just us, or does it feel like things are moving at warped speed this year? With the rise of NFTs, talk about meetings in the metaverse, and even holograms replacing speakers at major events, we are watching the stuff of sci-fi movies move into the mainstream. Innovation is literally unfolding before our eyes. So, the age-old question stands: beat em’ or join em’?
At Decibel, we’re all about innovating and bringing our industry forward, utilizing the latest technologies available to create memorable events. Today we’re sharing our thoughts on understanding and navigating these new technological additions and how they can complement, even elevate, the way events are conceived of and executed.
When it comes to new digital realities and products, NFTs are probably the hottest trending topic. These non-fungible tokens are used to record and identify the owner and information of a particular digital ‘asset’ using the blockchain. As of now, the most popular blockchain for NFTs is Ethereum (ETH). We’ve been hearing a lot about art NFTs, but these can really be any conceivable item that people might be interested in owning – including the signature of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry implanted in strands of rapidly replicating DNA.
With the rise of virtual and hybrid events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NFTs have a pretty good chance of being easily integrated into the events industry. Not only are they perfect for displaying during virtual gatherings, but now many places are developing means of exhibiting these digital assets like physical works of art through digital signage and video.
Plus, it might not always be the events industry that needs to accommodate the display of NFTs. These digital assets can also be a source of revenue for charity or community events. Not only are they a trendy and compelling way to engage your audience, but they also have a certain FOMO inducing effect that could be just the thing to attract additional supporters or donors.
When it comes to gatherings, it’s easy to lament the loss of being able to hold large-scale events due to COVID-19. We’re on the fence because losing the special human connection that can only come from a thousand people co-existing in unison is hard to let go of.
However, options like the metaverse provoke some important questions about the future of the events industry. While the metaverse certainly has its potential dark sides (further isolating individuals, creating even more distance between communities, increased inequality for those without access) it also presents the opportunity for different forms of creativity and communication, even if only virtual. The metaverse isn’t entirely new at all. Preludes like Travis Scott’s larger than life concert in the Fortnite universe, show us that creating a special space within the virtual sphere can provoke a similar feeling of excitement as attending an event in person.
The metaverse may also be able to offer virtual events a second chance. One of the main reasons why these virtual reality technologies can have such an impact on event management is the increased audience engagement. You can choose your avatar and engage in shared experiences being co-present in a space. The metaverse also has unprecedented scalability. Organizers can design spaces that are perfectly tailored for the number of attendees, rather than being confined to a physical location. Lastly, we can’t deny that the metaverse is inherently more sustainable. The carbon reduction from hosting events in the metaverse is probably one of the most convincing arguments for (responsibility) migrating many of our large-scale events into the virtual space. Let’s face it, this is no longer a fantasy; we saw it at Microsoft’s Ignite 2020 conference, just to name one example.
Perhaps a middle ground between NFTs (assets) and the metaverse (an entirely virtual space) are – and we can’t believe we’re saying this – holograms. No, we’re not talking about R2D2’s projection of Princess Leia in A New Hope, but a very realistic compilation of light beams that come together to form the projection of three-dimensional figures that can potentially interact with real people in real spaces. Companies like PORTL are changing the way we think about remote interactions. Imagine beaming a keynote speaker into an event from anywhere in the world in full scale detail. The potential for single speakers is clear, but we can also easily imagine it working for panels and groups.
All these technologies are poised to bring the events industry into a new era of technological innovation. The reach and potential for new forms of engagement cannot be denied. We don’t think (hope) anyone is ready to give up in-person events. The significance of the human connection that comes from physical events is something special we’re not ready to let go of yet. However, as virtual reality technologies are on the rise, people will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a very unique experience that features innovation, engagement, and connection all at once, regardless of geographical or venue constraints. If we’re not asking questions about these changes, then we might as well be stuck in the past.
To learn more about how we use technology to create incredible events, connect with the Decibel team at www.decibelmanagement.com.
Tips on making your next online presentation professional and effective.
NEWS
If anyone here hasn t checked out our podcast yet, or doesn t know we have one then give a listen here! We just finished up Episode #2. We ve got a solid rhythm going with it, the pacing is great, and its full of big ideas for your online event contingencies. But that s not all!
Are your children driving you wild at home? Do you need to impose consequences for misbehavior? We strongly recommend forcing them to listen to this podcast. Think about it. You ll get 15 solid minutes of productive helpful suggestions about online event solutions, and they ll get what should feel like an eternity to reflect on their actions while enduring boring adult stuff. Were they extra bad? Make them write a report on it. Win-win.
As you might have noticed from these shameless plugs, we d like to promote this podcast and get that click counter clicking. We worked hard on it! But beyond that we thought it d be helpful to use this week s blog post to walk you through our planning, editing, and recording process as a guide to making an effective audio or visual presentation. If you re seeking out the best way to connect with your remote staff right now, you ll definitely want to give this list a read through.
So, let s talk about how Decibel produces its weekly podcast (which again, you can listen to here), and use that as the basis to describe how you should plan and execute any type of online presentation.
Get the Right Equipment
Sure, everyone s computer now comes standard with a microphone and webcam but there are relatively cheap ways you can improve this set up for significantly better results. If your presentation only requires you to sit at a desk, then your integrated webcam is likely fine. If you re using a real whiteboard or charts, you might want something with higher resolution so everyone can see the details. We recommend this guy right here:
Your microphone is a different story. Integrated computer microphones tend to pick up a great deal of room noise. So if you were attempting a Skype-based conference call in your bathroom and thought you were pulling a fast one, you weren t. Everyone could hear the echo on tiles and knew exactly what you were up to.
Try a nice external mic that cuts out a lot of the extraneous noise. You ll get a much warmer, crisp, and clear sound that makes listening significantly easier. Here s a couple entry level examples that will be more than enough to do the job:
Make a Road Map
I know exactly one person who can speak brilliantly and concisely off the cuff. They know exactly how long they re going to speak for, they know all the right notes to hit, their arguments make logical sense, and they never get tripped up. Everyone else I know starts out strong and gets lost in the weeds after 10 seconds. Like Joe Biden. It s a lot easier to stay on point when you ve written up a road map and it s a lot easier to listen to someone when they re organized. You ll want to include: 1) key points or topics in a logical order 2) benchmarks for length of time spent on each topic. You can check these off as you go along and keep track of your time to make sure you re nailing everything efficiently. Any virtual conferencing platform like Zoom or Adobe Connect or Gotomeeting has time keeping functions by default. This brings us to our next point.
Always Have a Dry Run
Before we record our Podcast, we typically carve out a half hour to freely chat and allow for some themes to emerge from the noise. While we have a rough idea of what we d like to record, these dry runs let us hone in on or flesh out particular key ideas, establish solid talking points, and get used to a conversational rhythm. We can t emphasize enough how valuable this is.
If you re recording or livestreaming a video there are additional things to consider here. What if your lighting is weird and the stream makes it look like you ve made a poor man s attempt at a film noir? It s distracting.
Have a dry run with your road map and review the video or audio. Make sure your audio and video are clear and professional. Identify the portions of your presentation where you re liable to trip and put in a little extra effort to structure for time and clarity. You may well notice there was something big you forgot to include in your road map. No big deal, you can address it.
Always Have a Backup
The beauty of online video and audio streaming services is the ease of recording and creating backups. As much as I can t stand the sound of my own voice, I always push through our rehearsal recordings to evaluate the quality of the sound and content. There s also always the possibility that your rehearsal produced some magic that might not have been present in your performance run. Download some free open source video editing software like OpenShot to weave together your best moments.
This is especially useful if you re planning to upload your streaming presentation as a VOD. Your remote employees may well be juggling a number of different responsibilities at the moment, and making a VOD available to them with all your greatest hits edited together will account for that need for flexibility. Record everything!
Get Interactive
Sitting and watching or listening to a live streamed presentation can be tough, especially when you re at home. You re surrounded by countless toys, distractions and other immediate responsibilities. In addition to making an efficient and well-produced presentation, consider a streaming platform that allows for interaction. Platforms like Zoom can allow for private channels, file sharing, polling, and text-based chats that allow everyone in the virtual room to be actively involved in the experience. After you ve prepped everything else. Find places in your presentation that allow for live feedback, or live reactions to specific content.
Since polling is among the easiest ways to do this, we thought we d direct you to Zoom s very own blog where they provide suggestions for how to integrate them into your next presentation.
For a great example of how these steps produce great results, I will again direct you to Decibel s Podcast. Did you know we had a podcast? And as always, reach out to Decibel to get any and all online event solutions moving today.
National Book Festival 2019: Parade of the States
NEWS
Follow this link for some great insight, tips and insider info for what to expect at the Parade of the States at the 2019 National Book Festival. And if you ever wonder why they call it the Parade of the States:
It s a parade, as in to exhibit ostentatiously or to flaunt. What the National Book Festival s Parade of the States is flaunting is the literary heritage of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Territories.
National Book Festival
The National Book Festival is on Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Visit loc.gov/bookfest for full details.
6-Point Strategy for Transitioning Your Live Event Online
NEWS
Well, here we are again. Now that we re all hunkered down in our toilet paper forts, we figured it s time to stop contributing to mass panic with reports of event cancellations. If panic is your thing, feel free to turn on cable news or google Dow Jones Industrial Average at your convenience.
Just to recap, pretty much everything is cancelled (Coachella, Europe, bars, the bull market, bars, my career aspirations, bars, etc.). The White House just updated it to no gatherings of more than 10 people. That is just how quickly the landscape is changing.
So, take a few moments and have a freak-out session. It s well-deserved. We re all stressed. No judgement here. I watched Contagion for the first time over the weekend assuming it d just be a zombie flick so, I get it.
Now, rein it back in and let us guide you into the shining light of online event solutions. This is only a tactical challenge and you still have plenty of options for meeting your events goals this year.
To help you out, we ve come up with a general 6-point attack strategy for transitioning your live event into an online experience. Before you decide to just cancel your current plans, go through this list. It s easier than you think and you leave yourself in a better position for success if you simply transition your event, rather than cancel it and attempt to regain your audience and momentum down the road.
Revise Your Event Goals & Benchmarks for Success
OK, we know that live events are an impossibility until at least the Summer, so let s revisit the core goals behind your live event. That attendance goal you have? It s probably time to set that aside. Your goals about a product launch, increasing brand awareness, or generating a dialogue through a speaker/panel series however, can still be very much in play. Figure out which goals are still attainable.
In the short term, a successful event is well-attended, most of the right people show up, and most everyone leaves with a positive impression. Great. But we re talking about long-term markers of success how much more traffic does your website receive after your event? How much sustained social media buzz is there for you new product? How many more online or in-store sales are you making? You re going to want your events management company, or an in-house events team to derive a revised set of success benchmarks informed by resources like livestream analytics. Plenty of livestreaming companies offer these services, but here s one just to give you an example of how you can leverage an online event into a business boost.
Revise Your Message
When we talk about a message , we re really thinking about a consistent image or concept that communicates your brand s intentions and identity to your audiences. That s still doable, but it has to change to accommodate these new circumstances. Maybe it s time to seriously alter your event s website to make it your central event hub. Maybe it s time to significantly change your approach to social media. Maybe it s time to shift gears on your brand storytelling. Think about a unified online aesthetic and narrative to communicate the message of your branded event to your audiences. Here s some ideas to get you started.
Translate Format & Attendee/Presenter Experience
Know your content and your audience. Think about the live experiences you intended your audience to have in the abstract how were audiences expected to engage aspects of your event? Was this a sitting-quietly-and-listening event or were audiences expected to interact with a person or new product? In light of that, what formats for presentation would they most likely respond to? Are scheduled video drops the way to go? Is a livestream presentation more appropriate? Would your viewers like something more interactive for Q&A like a message board? Should you send out your new product to handful of lucky people to make their own unboxing videos? There are analogous online experiences that can be created for nearly all of the live experiences you had planned.
Evaluate Personnel & Skill Requirements
Obviously, with a change in format you ll also need to think about the requirements and skills necessary to pull off this online event. Does someone need to moderate a forum or livestream? Do you need additional personnel available by phone or live chat to answer questions? Is your current website and social media management sufficient, or do you need additional personnel to forward your revised message and strategy? After revising message and your event format, prepare a list of new remote work and skill requirements needed to manage your event.
Create New Communication Plan
Navigating an online event can be less intuitive than a live event. You can t really put up signs. Announcements are more difficult. You can t just walk over to the next room and speak with someone. Revising your communication plan so that you can actively maintain contact with event stakeholders, presenters, and audiences is crucial to mitigating these challenges and will insure the success of your online event.
Finalize New Schedule
At least for the next 8 weeks, you ll have a pretty good idea of where your audiences will be and when they ll be available. You do not necessarily have to cram a whole event into a three-day weekend since you re not working under constraints like travel or the cost of renting a space. There are options here to draw out what would have been a very short event into a week-long or multi-week affair that offers viewers a small but steady stream of content every day. Think about how your audiences and presenters are now occupying their time and schedule for the best results.
Right now, online events are everyone s jam. Decibel has been tackling this online challenge for years now and plan to continue bringing you helpful content throughout this crisis to keep your organization moving forward. Check out our new podcast series here for more helpful tips, and reach out to get your live event retconned into an effective online experience today.
Decibel and The National Small Business Week Awards
NEWS
Last month Decibel Management produced one of our flagship events in Washington D.C., the National Small Business Week Awards. Since this is the Decade of Decibel, we thought it might be nice to take a deeper look at this event, seeing as our partnership with SCORE and the U.S. Small Business Administration is one of our longest standing events and to show how we help their team bring this influential event to life.
So first, a little history lesson. National Small Business Week, or NSBW for short, started back in 1963 when President Kennedy signed the first proclamation recognizing the contributions that small businesses provide the U.S. economy. Since then every standing president, regardless of political party, has reissued this proclamation in the continuing acknowledgement of American entrepreneurship.
Flashforward nearly 60 years and the tradition is still going strong. Although things really got going in 2009, or so we like to think at least, when Decibel first got involved with NSBW by partnering with the U.S. Small Business Administration and SCORE, a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses, to host the National Small Business Week Awards in our nation s capital. The awards aim to recognize and honor achievements by business owners from all over the country, their companies and their employees for all they do in the small business world. Categories range from recognizing business innovations to the Small Business Person Of The Year and include winners from every state in the country.
Every year the event takes on a new form as administrations turnover and different goals and challenges are set. This most recent year, for instance, Decibel tackled the addition of a NSBW bus tour, which included a custom-wrapped bus that stopped in multiple cities to honor small businesses in their hometowns.
As for Decibel s exact role in this week-long celebration, well, you name it. Stage design, event management, execution and let s not forget vendor management. So much vendor management. From food to travel, we covered it all. Planning and logistics are a major part of the legwork leading up to events of this caliber, but it s important we not forget the team on the ground that Decibel sends to put out the inevitable fires to come up with any large event. But by now we ve become expert firefighters.
Of course, our ultimate goal is always to provide a great event for all of the nominees in attendance, whether at the main stage in D.C. or along the bus tour route. Funny thing about awards shows, one of the most challenging aspects of producing them is keeping the winners a secret all the way through the rehearsals and show so that they are genuinely surprised when they win.
After producing this event for much of the past decade, with all the new faces and changes we ve seen, there is one thing we always find to be the same. As a small business ourselves, we consistently walk away from this event feeling inspired and hopeful. Getting to meet so many nominees and winners from all over the country gives us a renewed sense of what small businesses can achieve and how they really are the backbone of commerce and business in America. This is truly one of our favorite events here at Decibel Management and we re honored to be a part of it. Looking forward to many more!
